2007 Buessem Award Recipient
Galeb H. Maher came to the United States from his native Lebanon in 1957. While employed at Sprague Electric Co., he pursued a higher education, receiving his B.S. degree in physics at North Adams State College, Massachusetts, in 1962. He went on to earn an M.S. in physics from Williams College in 1968 and a Ph.D. in material science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1972. During his 30 years at Sprague Electric, he rose to the position of Worldwide Director of R&D. He was named a Sprague Fellow in 1988 for his work in ceramic technology. In 1989, Galeb Maher founded MRA Laboratories, Inc., in North Adams, Massachusetts, where he continued his outstanding leadership in the field of multilayer ceramic capacitors. MRA Labs, now in Adams, produces formulated ceramic dielectric materials for the multilayer ceramic capacitor industry worldwide.
Dr. Maher was author/co-author of many technical papers in his field, as well as inventor/co-inventor of over 30 U.S. patents. He was a charter member of the Hudson-Mohawk Section of the American Ceramic Society in 1978, serving as secretary, vice chair, chair, and member of executive committee for the Steering Committee; he served on the Counselor Section, was co-chair for the 1990 Section Symposium, and chair-elect for the 1991 Section Symposium. He was a member of the Electronic Division and National Institute of Ceramic Engineers; in 1972, he was awarded the Conference Prize Paper Award at the Electronics Components Conference in Washington, D.C.; on June 9, 1990, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from North Adams State College (now MCLA); he was made a ‘Fellow’ of the American Ceramic Society in Cincinnati, Ohio, in April 1991; and he was involved with the Center for Dielectric Studies from its inception in 1983. Honors include the 1984 ISHM ‘Best Paper Award’ for Passive Components and the 1987 ‘Achievement Award’ from the Hudson Mohawk Section of the American Ceramic Society for his contributions in the advancement of electronic ceramics.
In addition to his many professional accomplishments, Galeb was a member of the American Druze Society (ADS), founding a Boston Chapter in 1980; in 2006, he was given an honorary award for his dedication and service to the Boston Chapter. He was a member of the Committee on Religious Reforms of the American Druze Foundation. Most of all, Galeb was a dedicated family man, to wife Christine, daughter Amal, sons Riad and Samir, his grandchildren, and extended family both in the U.S. and in his home country of Lebanon.
In view of the sudden and untimely death of this most accomplished man on October 7, 2006, the Center for Dielectric Studies decided to break with its long tradition of presenting this award to a retired member of the ceramics community, voting unanimously to honor Galeb H. Maher posthumously with the 2007 Wilhelm R. Buessem Award.
The Center for Dielectric Studies presented Dr. Maher’s family—his wife Christine, daughter Amal, and sons Riad and Samir—with the Wilhelm R. Buessem Award at the CDS Awards Dinner on October 1, 2007.